


Carry On, Wayward Son

by papiersam



Category: Persona 4
Genre: and heartfelt ones too, make for strange happenings, teenagers & toddler
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-12 00:41:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17457344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/papiersam/pseuds/papiersam
Summary: Yosuke and Yukiko adopt a 2-year-old Naoto; life carries on, as it does.





	1. On the Streets I Ran

Yosuke drags himself to Junes with the same enthusiasm he drags himself everywhere these days.

Since the Investigation Team split two months ago, everything goes slow; gravity weighs heavy; music whines on.

For Yosuke, that's the rock bottom.

He tries shaking things off with his humour, but it doesn't really work when there usually isn't anyone to hate him for it. They're around, most of them, but the driving thrill of murder and secrets isn't there to tie them close.

Things change.

 _Most things_ , Yosuke thinks as Junes' tune grates inside his ears. Lately, it sounds like the alarm that wakes him up way too early for another dreadful day.

His eye catches a little kid covering his ears near the entrance.

"I feel ya, little man," Yosuke says, passing by. He walks in, and slouches as the cold, stale air takes him in.

Another day, another dollar.

* * *

Teddie's a pain, most of the time. Yosuke wishes Souji was around to keep the bear in check.

Otherwise, when left to his own devices, Teddie puts the cotton candy beside the Brussel sprouts – for the kids, he says – and gives Yosuke an extra 45-minutes of work.

Unpaid, because he's the manager's son, and according to everyone else, fixing these things just comes with the territory.

Yosuke stuffs his hands into his pockets. He thinks he should be over these sorts of bothers, but some things just come back in their own way, don't they?

Yosuke walks out of Junes and into the warm evening air. He's about to pop in his earphones – he doesn't risk bringing his headphones to work, what with his luck – and crank up the volume until he forgets the Junes Jingle when he sees a little kid sitting by the door, covering his ears.

"I feel ya, little man," Yosuke says, passing by.

He's mentally debating between two piano ballads – might as well; it's not like something rock will change his mood – when part of his mind drifts off, tells him that something's different today, and when it becomes an itch he can't scratch, he stops walking.

He just went to work, handled Teddie's shenanigans, and now he's heading home to tell off the guy and chill for the night.

As per usual.

Then there's nothing out of the ordinary, he thinks as he looks back at Junes.

He sees a kid huddled down, covering his ears –  _oh_.

Yosuke remembers now: it's that kid from five hours – five hours  _and forty-five minutes_  – ago. He usually figures if a kid's not crying, his parents are somewhere nearby.

He backtracks and crouches down in front of the boy. "Hey, dude. Where's your mom?"

The kid looks up, and he's got this pained look that doesn't belong on someone so young.

"What about your dad?" Yosuke persists, but doesn't get more than a stare.

Well, this isn't going anywhere, and honestly, Yosuke's already had enough of kids today. But he can't just leave, either – that's just kinda low.

Yosuke sighs. He really is blood-bound to this place, huh?

"Let's get you away from this stupid song," he says, standing up and waving the kid to walk with him.

Apparently Tin-Ears needs everything spelled out to him – how old  _is_ this kid? – so Yosuke carefully takes the kids arm and starts walking.

He stares Yosuke down, but then lowers his one arm so Yosuke can properly hold his hand. It's tiny and soft, Yosuke notices immediately. He grins – this guy's one of the cute kids, he can tell.

"Here," Yosuke says, offering the left earbud. He's not sure if sharing it is the best idea, but he doesn't care too much himself. "Junes' thing can get annoying real quick, believe me."

After he fiddles and gets the thing in the kid's ear, he chooses the softer of the two songs he was deciding between before, and turns the volume down until it seems safely hush. The kid watches Yosuke until the song starts, and when it does, his eyes widen in (cute) confusion.

"Cool, huh?" Yosuke asks, but the boy doesn't answer – doesn't seem like much of a talker, really.

Instead, he touches the earbud, pulls it a bit, then pushes it back in. He looks thoroughly perplexed, his face scrunching up in thought – not that there's much a tiny tot like this guy could think.

Yosuke chuckles. At least someone can get a kick out of his tunes.

He's not exactly sure where he's leading them both; he can't take the little guy home, because Ted's already too much, and Yosuke doesn't much fancy kidnapping either.

He doesn't want to go all the way to the police station, but he's not too keen on calling the cops this late when they could be out handling a real emergency – not that there have been any since the murders – so, as much as he hates to have to make the trip, he decides it's best to go straight there and let them take care of things.

"But it  _is_ pretty late," Yosuke thinks aloud. "You gonna be able to stay up?"

The kid doesn't answer. He's still enraptured by the music. It's a good, innocent thing, Yosuke thinks. He wishes he still had that in himself.

"Never lose the love, little man." Then, because he's probably going to need it for the cops, Yosuke says, "But I can't keep calling you that. What's your name?"

When he doesn't answer, Yosuke gently shakes the kid's hand in his. "C'mon dude. Your name – what's your name?"

The kid looks up at Yosuke. "Naoto."

Yosuke can't help but grin; yeah, this little guy  _totally_  reminds him of Naoto, and it comes to him instantly. Blue hair, and blue eyes that just stare you down. He's also dressed just as outdated: white dress shirt and black shorts, with those old-school suspenders.

Translation: super dorky.

He considers taking a picture and sending it to Naoto, just as an excuse to start a conversation – hell, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they haven't even spoken since Souji left – but he glumly figures it would be a one-sided conversation anyway, so it's pointless.

Besides, sharing photos of random children might be breaking a law or something, and he's not about to do that in front of the Detective Prince of all people.

Still – "I have a friend named Naoto. She's almost as small as you." Yosuke chuckles to himself, then remembers, "Oh, right – haven't told you my name. I'm Yosuke."

The kid – Naoto – takes a slow moment, then nods once, briskly.

Yosuke isn't too sure if it sticks, so he asks. "All right, dude, what's my name again? C'mon?"

"Yosuke," Naoto squeaks, then touches the earbud as the music ends with a slow fade out.

"Nice!" Yosuke quips, holding his other hand out for the high-five.

Naoto, predictably, stares at it.

"Left me hanging," Yosuke sighs, then goes to his phone and chooses another piano lullaby. When it plays, Naoto breaks into the same astonished expression.

They continue walking, Yosuke making small talk on the way. Naoto stays quiet until every new song, where he's blown away all over again.

As soon as the police station comes into view, Naoto yelps. Then, he drops himself on the road in a squat.

Yosuke takes a moment to answer, because that was  _way_  too abrupt. "...you okay, little man?"

Naoto yelps again.

"Gonna need some words here."

Naoto yelps again. He's staring daggers at the station.

"Afraid of the cop shop?" Yosuke asks. "It doesn't have any lame music."

But when Yosuke tugs Naoto just a bit, he squeaks and pulls back. It leaves Yosuke with very few fabourable options.

Carrying Naoto really doesn't seem like a good idea, and Yosuke doesn't want to grab a cop from inside and leave Naoto to run off.

"C'mon, Naoto. How are we gonna find your parents?"

Naoto points at the police station.

"Y _yy_ eah. So...le's'go!" Yosuke says, taking one more chance to pull Naoto with him, but it goes as successfully as his other attempts.

Then Naoto finally speaks, and he sounds...sad? "Home."

Yosuke pauses, then scratches the back of his head. "Uhm, okay? Take me to your home, then?"

It strikes Yosuke – a bit later than it should have, he thinks - that this kid's parents kinda factor into things. They were surely going out of their minds having lost their child –

– but then, why did no one come to Junes looking for Naoto?

At the very least, security should have come looking for a missing kid. Then again, they didn't find him ducking right in front of the store – but maybe Ted's mischiefs kept them all busy enough.

Still, Naoto shouldn't be left alone like this. Man, those parents are getting an earful from Yosuke.

"C'mon, little man, where's your home?"

Naoto looks around the dark street, but shakes his head.

Yosuke does the same, if a little slower. He almost asks again, but then he's looking at Naoto and it's another familiar face that shouldn't be there: dread.

Which is weird, because Yosuke can't exactly explain how  _dread_  looks on a face. Just that it's something that lingers and drags, and Naoto's too young-looking to be looking like that.

He needs a pick-me-up, Yosuke decides, as he  _heaves_  Naoto into the air.

Naoto squirms, makes a sort of "nyeh!" sound, but doesn't make it all much difficult to drop him on Yosuke's shoulders. He even hugs Yosuke's head when he's seated, weighing lighter than Yosuke expected.

"All right, Naoto. I'm not gonna make you go anywhere you don't wanna go. But tomorrow morning, I'm gonna take you to your parents, 'kay?"

He can't see it, but he feels Naoto's head move against his.

Yosuke sighs, not unkindly. "Good. Now, I'm gonna take you to my place, hope my sucky-luck doesn't land me in jail, and you can chill and stuff while I leave all the figuring-stuff-out to my pops."

Because there's no reason why Yosuke should have to do it all on his own. His parents'll probably know how to handle a kid, because they took care of him, and Ted counts as a –

– oh no.

Honestly, maybe Teddie's good with kids at Junes, and he's probably a kind guy behind all that juvenile energy, but Naoto seems like he doesn't handle loud sounds well.

"Y'know what? Scratch that, I've got a better idea," Yosuke says, walking gently with Naoto leaning warm against him. "It's closer, anyway."

Naoto doesn't answer – as per usual, Yosuke notes – and Yosuke continues light talk, but quietly, because he can feel Naoto's breathing slow into a sleepy rhythm.

And despite chilly air and aching legs and a raw headache, Yosuke isn't feeling too bad at all. He's feeling better than most days, actually.

Because today, something's changed; even if it's just for a little while. It reminds him, very vaguely, of going from bored to hated to sad-then-heroic. It reminds him of getting out of that rut that he ran so deep he couldn't see outside of it.

Yosuke shrugs so he can adjust Naoto a little more comfortably on his shoulders. And walking down the still evening Inaba streets, he takes one light step at a time.

Life is in motion.


	2. Drag the River

For Yukiko, these days go well.

Seldom do they ever change; it's a steady float on calm waters, and that's never really a bad thing. So Yukiko's content with the wave of patrons, the ebb and flow of business, and the drifting idle chatter.

She's not complaining, but she finds she has an old habit of wondering and wanting more.

And, given summer vacation coming to a slow end and a final school year of decisions coming in, she has plenty of time and plenty to think about.

She plans to inherit the inn – with honour and delight – when her time comes. Until then, she's set herself on training to be a manager, cooking being the first improvement.

"Good night, Yuki–chan," her mother says sweetly before walking down the hallway with a sort of well-aged poise Yukiko has only ever seen on her.

Lately, Yukiko's mother has been happier, if a bit more drained. Yukiko too feels happier these days, because they aren't weighing her down with uncertainty and fear.

Still, as Yukiko whispers, "Sweet dreams, Mother," and slides through the paper doors, she wonders if those days at least kept her mind from floating away at night.

Inn work is consuming, but these nights Yukiko is filled with a sort of pent–up energy; something excited bubbles inside her, and she just doesn't know what to do with it.

She wonders if this is what Chie feels like most of the time – because Heaven knows that girl eats enough to power their entire town, bless her soul – and that maybe she should take up morning jogging, or marathon Kung–Fu movies all night.

But it just wouldn't work for Yukiko: she's got the inn, day in and day out, and she's got her future planned. The things that don't sum up to that whole just seem like they can't be made part of the balance.

Which leaves Yukiko wide–awake these nights, and her mind wanders at sea as her eyes stare at the same ceiling they have seen for the past sixteen years.

Seventeen, this December. Yukiko's never quite been a fan of the cold, and nowadays she thinks it's because of the fire the TV brings out of her.

Her phone buzzes, and the screen lights up the room. Given how late it is, Yukiko's not certain who it could be and is unsure if she's even awake when she reads the text.

_comin in 5. got company_

"Yosuke and...company?" Yukiko whispers to herself, just to be sure she's read it right. Since when does Yosuke text Yukiko so late – even if Chie's told her his nature of late night jokes – and why would he be coming to the inn at almost midnight?

Another text follows –  _meet me alone_ – and Yukiko is officially confounded.

But as much as rational thought tells Yukiko to consider the situation more, a small part of her just  _shrugs_  and says why not.

Somehow, that part gets her out of bed and into her sandals.

She's waiting just outside the inn gate – at the corner that grows the indistinct blueish flowers – with two parts confusion and one tiny, tiny part excitement. Yosuke, true to - well, Yosuke - arrives right on schedule, grinning tiredly, and for a moment it's like the team is trudging out of Junes on a late autumn evening.

The reverie gently ripples away when Yosuke closes the distance between them and huffs out a, "Mornin'."

Yukiko's senses seem to come back then – even the ones that doubted being out here in the first place – and she draws the hanging sleeves of her kimono closer.

She starts to answer, but her mind is distracted. "Morn-wait, no -"

"Kidding," Yosuke whispers, smiling.

 _I knew that,_ Yukiko means to say, but she's looking over Yosuke's head and isn't exactly sure if it's a trick of the lack of light – supplied in drops by the hanging lanterns - but there's a  _baby_  there.

"Uhm," Yukiko manages intelligibility.

Yosukue grins too widely and scrunches his eyebrows. "So you see it too?"

"The-uh,"  _What am I even doing outside? What would mother and father think?_  "The baby?"

"Pretty sure he's, like, two or something," Yosuke supplies. He shrugs, and the bundle moves with his shoulders. "This is Naoto."

Yukiko has a lot of questions, but at least the least important is answered.

Still, when logic and reason and all else fails, Yukiko's manager blood doesn't. "Maybe you should come inside."

* * *

They enter the inn the same way Yukiko left: through the window reached by scaling the far gate's wall, as none other than Rise devised, saying that _a girl always needs an escape route planned._

Maybe a girl like her, who always has at least five someones running after her. But when has Yukiko ever  _really_  been so sought after?

When they're in her star-lit room – which is a first, given Yukiko's never really brought either a boy or a baby home – Yukiko is mildly uncomfortable for a moment. Maybe Yosuke senses this, or maybe he's just in the habit of putting his foot in his mouth, but he whistles quietly.

"So where do you keep the good stuff?"

"Wh-what? What goods?" Yukiko splutters, before getting shushed by Yosuke.

"Kidding, kidding. We gotta keep it down, Naoto'll wake up."

Instead of suggesting the more pressing issue with being loud is getting caught in her room past midnight – oh  _goodness_  does saying it like that put things into a context – Yukiko whispers, "Naoto?"

Yosuke raises his brows up and shrugs the saddle on his shoulders. "This little guy."

Which brings about so many other questions, in part because Yukiko's now become a philosopher at night, but she first notices, "- he's not sleeping."

"Yeah he is," Yosuke says, as he tries to look over his own head. It's an amusing picture, and Yukiko smiles just short of a giggle.

"I don't think he's been asleep at all," Yukiko says, looking at Naoto – who looks a lot more at peace than the Naoto she's used to seeing. His eyes are half-open, and his face has an easy sleepiness to it.

"What?" Yosuke says a little louder, reaching a hand to tap Naoto's head. "Have you been hitching a free ride?"

This time, Yukiko lets out a giggle. "He certainly is as smart as Naoto-kun."

" _Smartass_ ," Yosuke huffs as he gently pries Naoto off his shoulders. When he catches Yukiko's look, he grimaces. "Sorry."

As Yosuke holds Naoto in his hands, mock-arguing with him, Yukiko adjusts her pillow and blankets.

"You should put him down here," she suggests, and Yosuke follows, stuffing his earphones in his pocket.

When Yukiko tucks him in, she sees Naoto stare up at her with a sort of innocent curiosity. It's really, really cute.

"Are you sleepy, Naoto?"

Naoto shakes his head, and Yukiko thinks maybe it's not just her who's not finding sleep easy lately.

"I am," Yosuke yawns out, dropping on the floor and propping himself up against his hands. "So can I nap here too?"

"N-no!" Yukiko whispers as aghast as she can manage.

"K-i-d-d-i-n-g," Yosuke says, chuckling. When Yukiko gives him a derisive stare, he holds his hands up defensively. "Okay, okay. Serious talk now. So what're we gonna do with him?"

Somehow,  _somehow_ , it feels like they're sitting at a round table. "What do you mean? Is he your cousin?" But even Yukiko can tell that's a stretch.

"What? No, he looks nothing like me." Yosuke glances over at Naoto, who looks back at him. "He's cuter than me – but don't-" Yosuke grumbles off, then repeats louder, "don't tell anyone I said that."

Yukiko isn't even sure if anyone would believe her if she told them Yosuke called anything "cute", even if it was a sweet toddler.

But then, since Souji left, it wasn't like she had many excuses to spend time with Yosuke and know him better, anyway. Or at all.

"He is cute," Yukiko agrees, nonetheless. "How old did you say he was?"

"Dunno. How old are ya, little man?" They watch Naoto expectantly, who watches them just the same. Yosuke shrugs. "He does that most of the time. But if I'm guessing, he's two or three, prob'ly."

"Really? I would have said one-and-a-half, maybe." When Yosuke's expression prompts her, she adds, "He's very quiet, and small. A little mysterious."

Yosuke yawns again, stretching his arms out. "Maybe. I dunno. You'd know better than me."

Yukiko's not too sure – kids don't visit the inn all that often. Mostly just infants or adults, because kids don't have the patience for traditional temporary living.

"Anyways," Yosuke says, still looking sleepy, and a bit – dodgy? "Can he stay here tonight? He got lost at Junes and he doesn't wanna go to the station to call his parents, and I really couldn't think of a better place to leave him. I  _really_  don't mean to dump anything on you, but..."

"Oh, of course."

"What?" Yosuke bolts up, startled, and Yukiko shushes him. He continues in a harsh whisper. "I thought you'd be all up in my grill for kidnapping or something."

Grill reminds Yukiko of Chie.

In any case, Yukiko's lived in this town long enough – over a  _decade_  longer than Yosuke – to know that this isn't all that out-of-the-ordinary: every so often a tourist will lose a friend or child, but no one ever bothered the police with it – there was a sort of stigma against involving the force where kindred townsmanship could help just fine.

"I'll let my father know in the morning, and when he goes out to maintain the garden, he'll let the word out and they'll find his parents."

"Huh." Yosuke looks almost disappointed, but then shrugs. "Man, the boonies will never cease to bore, eh? Someone can just grab a kid off the street and everyone's chill about it."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Yukiko asks. She's never questioned it herself; it's just been a way of life.

"Good and bad, I guess."

After that, the conversation goes pond-water still, and a silence falls between them, where Yukiko finds herself smoothing out Naoto's already smooth blanket just to busy herself. Naoto watches her, and she almost engages him but decides their conversation has probably kept him up long enough as it is.

She looks at Yosuke, who's spinning his phone around in his hand, and can't think of anything to say – which, in it's own right, is a little disappointing, knowing that they used to be better company to each other.

Well, no: everyone together was better company. Divided, they're back to their old ways.

Before Yukiko can come up with anything, Yosuke draws himself up and stands, wincing a little.

"Well, if everything's all right, then I'm off. Got school in the morning and all. Y'know -" he smiles, like he's about to tell a joke that no one else will get, but it turns into a grimace and he stuffs his hands into his pockets. "-a-anyway, I'll see you tomorrow, I guess."

It strikes Yukiko that even seeing each other when they go to the same school has become a probability more than a promise. She's not sure what to make if it.

But if she's sure of one thing, it's how to be hospitable. "Why don't you stay?"

Yosuke blanks, quirks an eyebrow. "Uh."

"It is an inn after all. It's open to everyone." Yukiko stands up herself, shoulders held stiffly forward by wont. "It's the slow season, so there's a few rooms free, and no one would mind if you stayed until the morning."

Yosuke looks weirded out still, but manages to chuckle to himself. "I mean, I could just stay here with Naoto. And you," he adds, with a wink as slick as sandpaper.

Yukiko's about to switch into her defensive mode – the one she uses with the lewd-acting men – but Yosuke chuckles again, waving his hand.

"I'm just kidding – you gotta get that by now. But man, your face just  _hardened_." He grins, but it's not so arrogant as it is light-hearted. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm gonna pass this time."

He starts to make his way out, and Yukiko almost asks him to stay again – because the way he walks, he just looks  _exhausted_.

But she doesn't, and instead Yosuke looks over his shoulder as he leaves out the window they came from.

"But, if there's a big enough opening, we should get everyone together and have another Amagi inn party." He flashes a strained, tired smile. "We can all hit the hot springs together this time."

Yukiko watches him clamber out the window, and hears the clattering sounds he makes on his way down until he apparently trips on something and consequently swears before calling out a hushed, "Sorry!"

A moment later, and Yosuke's gone as the night's quiet spilled over the inn again.

Yukiko sighs. She feels pensive, and now more than ever has food for thought. But, stressed as she is, she also feels a certain sort of –  _happiness_. Something inching close to excitement.

Maybe seeing Yosuke again has something to do with it, or maybe it's the late night sneaking around. Whatever it is, it's lit the tiniest of sparks inside Yukiko.

Speaking of tiniest.

"Are you okay with sleeping here tonight?" Yukiko asks Naoto, who's still staring out at nothing in particular.

Naoto nods, and shuffles deeper into his blankets.

Yukiko pulls it away from his face just slightly, because she's been warned enough by plastic bags that everything is a choking hazard to kids.

"Will you be scared without your mom and dad?"

This time, Naoto looks at Yukiko, and pauses for a moment. He shakes his head.

Well, he seems like a well-behaved child, Yukiko muses, as oppose to most kids that end up staying at the inn and driving staff and stay alike crazy.

"Well then," Yukiko starts as she brushes Naoto's messy hair back, "sweet dreams, Naoto. And if you need anything, just let me know."

In place of answering, Naoto burrows under Yukiko's blanket until only his eyes peek out. Yukiko smiles, then sets off to her closet and pulls out whatever leftover blankets she has.

She makes do with a winter comforter as a futon, and a just-short quilt as a blanket – which is better than nothing, Yukiko thinks, because she could sleep without a futon or pillow, but couldn't catch a wink without something to wrap herself in.

Yukiko rolls her makeshift bed beside her actual one, and Naoto turns over to watch her. When Yukiko lies down and curls herself until she fits under the quilt, she sees Naoto nodding off, and it occurs to her that children are the most precious thing when they fall asleep.

And something about it brings her a peace that gently leads her into a sleep in kind.

"Good night, Naoto-kun," Yukiko whispers, the smell of last winter surrounding her as she leans her face into the comforter.

As her mind shuffle through random thoughts and moments, she manages to pinpoint one that floats around like a bottle at sea, in which a letter inside brings promise of a new day, where things begin to change.

For the most part, these days leave Yukiko happy.

But watching from the shore gets boring, and she thinks – sleepily, almost in dream – that if she could take off her shoes and catch that bottle, she just might find the greater contentment from just a few months ago.


	3. Hold On to Your Friends

When he sees Yukiko the next day, she's with Chie.

As usual.

Yosuke thinks to catch up with them as they walk home, but he stops himself for the same reasons he usually does.

Besides, Yukiko just told her dad this morning, right? She's not going to know if they found Naoto's parents until she gets home.

So he figures he'll try his luck tomorrow. Tonight, he's got a paper to start anyway.

* * *

The next day, he spends class wondering if he should just ask Yukiko how things went so he doesn't have to bother her after school, but then he kinda  _wants to_  have a reason to walk home with the others. Any reason, even midnight toddler escapades.

Except he's hesitant and awkward and Chie's rushing Yukiko anyways, so he waves.

Yukiko waves back, and Yosuke swears she's about to speak, but she smiles instead.

* * *

Well, Yukiko would've told him by now if there was anything to tell, so Yosuke figures things are going back to their usual schedule.

That means finishing his assignment before clocking into work after school and running shipment while Teddie plays Ring Around the Boxes (and Knock Them Down in a Mess, Why Not?).

He sighs, trudges outside of the classroom, and stops when he sees Yukiko waiting by the stairwell while Chie talks animatedly.

Huh. Is she – could she be – waiting up for him?

He decides this is as good a chance as any to talk to them, so he sillies on down the hallway, minding his own business, and  _just happens_  to notice Yukiko and Chie on his way down the stairs.

"Hey guys," Yosuke starts offhandedly.

"Hello," Yukiko says simply.

Chie shoots up a hand. "Hey there, stranger."

"Haha," Yosuke laughs sarcastically. "I've been busy, y'know."

Chie sighs tiredly, like she almost regrets making the joke. "Yeah, I know. Thing's've been getting crazy with all this third-year homework, huh?"

"Yeah."

"So what're you hanging back for?"

The better question, the question Chie should've asked, maybe is asking, is why  _hasn't_  he been hanging back for them lately?

And, to be honest? It just didn't feel right anymore without Souji. The guy was like glue for people – they stuck all over him pretty quick, anyway – and when he wasn't there, it would get harder to fill the spaces in conversation Yosuke wasn't used to having without him there.

But, Yosuke thinks, if he's stuck here now, might as well try, right?

"Got some time, saw you standing there."

Chie scoffs at him, but there's a lightness to it that Yosuke decides is a sign that she's happier than she'll let on.

"Chie and I were just talking about the paper due tomorrow," Yukiko says. She's neither too happy-looking nor too sad-looking; just as mild-mannered as always.

Chie leans backwards, showing some impressive spinal strength, and groans. " _Ugh._  She means we were trying  _not_  to talk about the paper. I haven't even started." She straightens up. "You?"

"I'm about halfway through," Yosuke says, and he doesn't know if he should be proud or embarrassed by his show of nerd-itude. "Gonna power through the rest tonight before work."

"WHAT?" Chie shouts, flinching back. Yukiko looks surprised too, but Yosuke's not sure if it's because of Chie's reaction or the subject of her reaction. " _You're_ ahead on an assignment? Who are you and what have you done with our dumb Yosuke?"

Well, it was more like being on-time for an assignment, but it even surprises him when he thinks about it. "Ha-ha. Maybe if you didn't fill your head up with all those fighting flicks."

"Nuh-uh, you just have nothing else to do.  _Listening_  to music doesn't take any focus, but kung-fu requires needle precision and attention."

"Excuses,  _excuses_ ," Yosuke says with a wave of his hand.

Chie sighs loudly. "I just don't believe it. There's a catch, I know it.  _Yosuke?_  Being _smart_?"

Yosuke should've taken it as an insult, but he was too busy enjoying how  _annoyed_  Chie's accusations made him. It was like listening to an album he hated as a kid and remembering how much  _fun_  it was to hate it.

Kind of a dumb analogy, but some feelings you just hold on to.

He looks over at Yukiko, wonders if maybe she feels the same because Chie sure acts like  _she_  does, but she still has that placid look on her face, and she's looking elsewhere.

"Yoo _hoo_ , Earth to Amagi," Yosuke whistles, waving his hand in front of Yukiko's face.

She recoils, like she's waken from a dream, and looks at him. "Sorry – I was just thinking."

"That's okay." Yosuke grins and folds his arms. "Guess you can space out all you want when you're  _that_  out of this world."

Yukiko pulls back, makes a small 'oh' sound, and looks mildly like she's bitten into a rotten apple.

Yosuke was expecting as much, so he's not disappointed as much as he is physically hurt when Chie slugs him in the shoulder.

"One: that was  _way_  lame, even for you, and two – " she stomps her foot " – I liked it better when you were all up in your own world and walking past us."

"Sure," Yosuke mutters, rubbing his shoulder. He knows she's lying on both points.

Still, it's good: the conversation is clunky and awkward, and the three of them don't really get along and they don't share anything in common, but it's good, because at least they're talking.

"Oh!" Chie yelps suddenly, watching someone pass by. "Takashi-sensei!"

Yosuke looks over and sees the new professor – the one who replaced King Moron for the new year – walk by them. Chie starts chasing after him, and mid-jog, stops and looks back.

"I'm gonna talk to Sensei. You can don't need to wait up, Yosuke."

Which, in Chie-talk, is  _stick around 'cause you're super funny and kinda dreamy – baka!_

Well, no. Even Yosuke can't imagine Chie saying that, least of all to him. But it's the thought that counts.

When Chie's stomping is too far away to hear, there's a break in the conversation that's filled with the sound of students filtering about with their idle chatter.

Yosuke moves his hand from his shoulder to the back of his neck and glances at Yukiko, who's looking left-ways.

Chie may have a loudmouth, but it's the kind that keeps a conversation on its toes. Meanwhile, Yukiko is the image of poise and careful-tongue quality, which is nice and all, but a killer when it comes to shooting the breeze.

So Yosuke decides to cut to the chase. "Man, wish I got the chance to say bye to Naoto. I liked the little dude."

"Oh," Yukiko says. "Well, he's at the inn if you'd like to see him again."

"Wait,  _what_?"

"At the inn. I asked one of the workers to watch over him while I'm at school."

Well, Yosuke has a lot of questions, and that answers about none of them. "I mean, like – you just asked someone to watch him?"

"I told her I was taking care of him for a friend." Yukiko pauses. "Which isn't a lie, right?"

"Well, technically not. Wait – " Man, it was always so hard to stay on topic with these guys. "What happened to asking your pops about Naoto's parents?"

Now Yukiko draws her arm close with the other one, and looks sheepish. "Well, I slept in and couldn't tell him on Tuesday – "

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Yosuke doesn't know if he can take this much info at once. "You?  _You_  slept in? I think you're losing touch, Yukiko."

Yukiko doesn't look all that happy to hear that, and Yosuke remembers that she still doesn't get his brand of humour. Which is a shame, really.

"Kidding," he mutters. "Happens to everyone, and I'll bet you're kept up even later these days with all that manager training."

Yukiko looks like she tries to smile, but it comes out as a flatline frown.

"Then what happened?" Yosuke tries.

"Well, I tried to tell him – I started by asking him about what he'd heard around town." She drops her arms just a bit so that she's holding her hands in front of her. "But he never mentioned any missing kids, and I just didn't know how to bring it up."

"So – you didn't?"

Yukiko shakes her head. "I kept telling myself 'later', but then I would get busy, or he would, or I would remember that you mentioned the police and I wasn't sure how to approach any of it."

Yosuke doesn't know what to say for a moment. "But – but keeping it a secret doesn't really make the situation any better!"

"I know," Yukiko sighs.

"Just – why didn't you tell me earlier?" And before Yukiko can answer, it dawns on him: "because you just didn't know how to bring it up, right?"

When Yukiko nods, Yosuke can't help but breathe out loudly, because  _man_ , are they on opposite sides of the same boat; Yosuke's an expert at putting his foot in his mouth, and Yukiko couldn't break the ice if it was trapping her underwater.

Except that Yosuke's problems don't count towards technically kidnapping. "Okay. Okay, you know what we have to do?"

Yukiko waits for him to speak.

He does so, holding his hand over his forehead. "We go see Naoto, make sure the little guy's not scared  _shitless_  at being stolen, and then handle the situation once and for all."

"Oh, he's not scared," Yukiko says with certainty. "Actually – "

* * *

"Kumiki?"

Yukiko nods. "We have a lot of them in the storage room. Naoto seems to really like them."

_Really like them_  was an understatement. Naoto – now dressed in a dress shirt and pants that seemed less tailor-fitted than his earlier outfit – sat completely engrossed by the wooden puzzles.

Thing is, he's not solving it; he's completely  _reinventing_  it.

Yosuke crouches beside Naoto, who doesn't even notice anyone's come in, and watches as he pushes the wooden wedges along grooves and edges, fitting them together almost seamlessly.

"Dude, what?" Yosuke whispers in awe. He's never been able to solve even the dumb kumiki puzzles from grade school.

"He's already solved these ones," Yukiko adds, picking up a darker-coloured, boxy puzzle from a pile on the ground.

Yosuke picks one up, prods at its sides, but only manages to move the two opposite boards before getting stuck.

He drops it on the floor. "Man, this kid. Look at him  _go_."

Yukiko hums in agreement, and they quietly watch Naoto as he moves the pieces along each other. It's admittedly  _really_  cute, the way his hands are too small or flimsy to firmly push the pieces, instead clumsily edging them along, all the while with that laser-focus stare.

It's like the little guy's learning the mechanics as he goes along, and each time he gets a difficult piece free, his eyes brighten with the same amazement as they did with Yosuke's earphones.

"He's very easy to keep busy," Yukiko explains, drawing herself up to sit in front of Naoto. Naoto looks up, then back down at his puzzle. "He also like to scribble and play with the blocks."

Yosuke looks over to the corner, where there's a few short towers of colour-arranged blocks, going from lightest to darkest.

Man, Naoto's a real neurotic.

"At least he's quiet," Yosuke finishes out loud.

"Mhmm, very," Yukiko agrees as she picks up a kumiki. "Did you finish this one, Naoto-bō?"

Yosuke blinks,  _hard_.

"What."

"I always had trouble with this one as a kid, but it's walnut wood and really soft – "

"No. What did you call him?"

This time, Yukiko blinks. "Naoto-bō?"

"Yeah. Don't. Don't call him that."

Almost hesitantly, Yukiko asks, "Why?"

"It just – sounds weird." Not that Yosuke's ever been super traditional, but most honorifics sound too cutesy or too formal to him.

"I think it sounds cute," Yukiko says, a little defensively.

"Yeah, that's the problem." And Yosuke sighs, because he can't believe what he's about to tell Yukiko, but he thinks he owes Naoto the save. "My parents used to – y'know. Call me…"

"Call you?"

Yosuke grimaces, and mutters, " _Yosu-bō_. And I hated it, and all the kids laughed – "

" _Snrk_!"

And Yosuke can't believe Yukiko's able to laugh at him just as he's telling her about his traumatic past.

But there she is, double-over in hysteria, clutching the walnut-wood kumiki. Even Naoto stops working to watch her, staring with a touch of alarm.

Yosuke gives her a minute, in which he hates the universe, and then says, "All right, real funny, they thought so, too. You done yet?"

_Almost_  seems to be the right answer, and it takes about a minute more for her to collect herself and wipe her eyes. By then, Naoto's returned to his puzzle and Yosuke's pretty sure his embarrassment is gone from his face now.

"I'm –  _hehe_  – I'm sorry, Yosuke-kun. That –  _oh_ , I'm sorry!"

Yosuke can believe she is, but he still feels kind of stupid.

And still? He's almost not that bothered by it either. The kids mocked him with their laughter, but Yukiko's seemed genuine. Like –

– like laughing over an album you used to hate. With a friend.

Man, did he miss his friends, even if they were there the whole time. Not that they really knew how to hold on, but Yosuke decides it comes down to trying.

Still, he crosses his arms. "Yeah, well, I'll hold it against you, and Naoto will too if you keep calling him  _that_."

Yukiko nods, looking like she's smothering the last of the giggles. "Okay. So – Naoto-kun?"

"Eh. I mean, sounds too much like  _our_  Naoto-kun, y'know? Just Naoto should be fine."

Yukiko nods, then turns to Naoto. "Naoto?"

Naoto doesn't respond.

"Perfect," Yosuke says. "Also – speaking of our little Detective Prince."

He pulls out his phone and scrolls through his contacts until he reaches the one named  _Prince Naoto_. Seeing the name makes him smirk every time.

"Let's call her up and ask her what to do."

"I suppose we could try," Yukiko says, switching Naoto's kumiki with another one. He takes it with eagerness. "She's probably busy, though…"

"Yeah." Because Naoto's been gone since maybe a month after Souji left, and hasn't made any contact since.

Yosuke wants to think it's because of work, but he's sure even Yukiko can agree that Naoto's just not talking to them by her own choice – whether or not it's because she's as awkward as they are, or if it's because she's got better people to spend her time on.

He hits  _call_ anyways. "Doesn't hurt to try," he says, as he's since learned today.

They sit in baited silence as the phone rings on, until the operator voice tells them what may as well have been a rejection letter.

"Maybe it does," Yukiko says, almost too quietly for him to catch.

It's weird, because he didn't even realise this would bother Yukiko as much as it seems to, and because he's kind of bummed out by it too.

"Well – "

His phone rings, and the screen says  _Prince Naoto_.

Yosuke smiles.

"Hel- _lo_?" he says when he picks up and puts the phone to his ear. "Detective Prince?"

There's radio silence, and then a buzz that Yosuke thinks is a sigh before he hears Naoto answer.

" _Speaking_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> le gasp!


	4. I Just Want To See The Boy Happy

Yosuke mouths something to Yukiko – which she can't quite decipher because it's so quick – and grins at her while he pulls the phone away from his ear and sets it on speaker mode.

She wonders, just for a moment, if anyone would ever be that happy to hear from her.

"Yo, Naoto. Long time, eh?"

Naoto's slow to answer, as if she's hesitating. " _I suppose it has. My apologies_."

"Stiff as ever, huh?" Yosuke's still smiling, and he waits for an answer. When none comes, he adds, "So – like – what's new?"

The answer comes faster this time. " _I've been taking on work, mostly. After my Inaba case I took a short break of sorts, but I've resumed as of late_.  _I'm going over casework as we speak._ "

Yukiko supposes she could have guessed as much, but she's not quite sure why she's stuck on the way Naoto says  _Inaba case._

" _And yourself? How are Ichika and the kids?_ "

She gives Yosuke a questioning look, and he returns it, spares Naoto a glance – even if he's still too busy with the kumiki – and looks back at the phone incredulously. "Wh - ? I know you're an ace detective and all, but how'd you know about the kid? And who's Ichika?"

Naoto, for her part, doesn't seem too fazed. " _Ichikia? Your wife, Ichika. I've met her, when you invited me for dinner. Two years ago, was it? A 'long time', as you put it. Have she and your children been well?_ "

Yukiko feels thoroughly confused – even more so than when Naoto explains any of those detective things she hardly talks about but can go on for hours on. Yosuke face is scrunched so tight it might stay that way – but he's still smiling.

_He's still smiling._

"Dude, what are you even saying? It's been a few months, not a few decades." He leans back, propped on a hand. As he does so, he pokes Naoto with his socked toe, and Naoto doesn't respond, as normal. "Do you even know who you're talking to?"

"… _This is Yosuke-san, correct?_ "

Well, Naoto's formal, but Yukiko's pretty sure that, by the time she left, she was calling her upperclassmen 'senpai', and by their first name.

She thinks, at least. She's not sure if she remembers Naoto ever  _actually_  saying any of their names. When that thought comes to Yukiko, she can't decide if it's a profound observation or a useless one.

Yosuke scoffs. "Not exactly. I mean, I don't think so. It's Hanamura Yosuke. Y'know, super-hot dude from that otherwise lame small town, Inaba."

There's a pause, almost too long. Then, in a tone of voice that's somehow very  _different_  than before, Naoto says, " _Ah, Hanamura. I didn't recognise you._ "

"Yeah? Didn't know you knew  _anyone_  outside of us, 'specially not another Yosuke. It's not too common a name."

Yukiko can agree with that; she doesn't get too many Yosuke's at the inn. She's only had a handful of Naoto's, but – maybe because she's a bit more acute to it – has noticed many Yukikos.

She's never liked the name too much, anyway. Never really fit her.

" _I apologise. You – sound different than I remember. Deeper."_

Yosuke's smile drops for a moment. Not completely off; it softens, as does the look in his eyes. Yukiko's not used to seeing him that way.

His voice sounds just as soft. "You think so?"

" _It could be the reception._ "

"Nah, it's me," Yosuke bounces back in a voice that's his own again. His brazen grin returns. "You sound the same, though. Same stuffy words."

"... _was there something you needed my assistance with?"_

Stilted, Yukiko thinks. Taut, strict. Distant.

It strikes her, then, what the difference is: talking to her married-with-kids colleague Yosuke-san, Naoto had been  _conversational_ , but to her maybe-friend Yosuke, Naoto went back to how she was when they first met, competing for the case.

It's a bothersome thought, but Yosuke doesn't seem to notice. "Actually, yeah. Uhm. How do I put this?"

He looks at Naoto, pokes him again with his toe, gets the same lack of response. He looks to Yukiko for help, but she doesn't have anything to add. She realises Naoto wouldn't even know she's here on the call, too.

Would it make a difference if she did know?

"We, uh. We found a lost kid a while back, took him in. We've been trying to find his parents, but it's been like, three days, and we've got nothing. Thought you might know what we should do next."

Another pause, but Yukiko decides this one is for Naoto to process the situation. Yosuke, for his part, did a reasonable job summarising it without making it seem too much like a kidnapping, or a result of two teenagers unable to handle a marginally atypical situation.

Finally, Naoto answers, in that slightly deeper tone that's she's always meant business with. " _Did you inform the local authorities? The police station, perhaps?_ "

"Yeah, uhh, no. Naoto didn't like that, and I didn't want to make a big deal outta it."

" _Missing children is no small issue._ "

Being a detective, Yukiko's sure Naoto would've at least dealt with a few missing persons cases.

Yosuke tries to deflect the blame, but he's still smiling. "C'mon, Naoto-kun. It's not like that. Inaba's a small place, people don't wanna get the cops involved with everything. We wanted to ask around, but – " Yosuke glances at Yukiko for a moment " – we just don't know how to bring it up. It's – I dunno, man. How often do you find a lost kid and not hear anything about it?"

There's a buzzing that sounds like a sigh. " _If I'm correct, you found a child and kept it for days without informing anyone?_ "

It sounds annoyed, if Yukiko's sugarcoating it. And it makes the situation seem worse – or makes it seem as bad as it is, and Yukiko's just been skirting the issue.

What has she even been  _thinking_?

Finally, Yosuke's smile drops off completely. He grimaces instead. "Well – sorta. The circumstance is different. It was late, and Yukiko's right about it being too crazy to mention – "

Yukiko winces at the mention of her own name.

" – and what did you expect us to do? He didn't want us to take him to the cops and no one's running around looking for him, it's just too weird and –"

" _Forgive my presumptuousness, but if you've gone out of your way to create another case just to satisfy your boredom, I advise you spend your ample free time otherwise. And I ask that you not to invite me if should you choose to ignore my warning_."

Bitter. And Yukiko catches an accusing anger that Naoto's aimed at them before.

Before solving the case.

Yosuke doesn't say anything, until he creases his brow and bites out, "That was uncool, Naoto. If we wanted you that bad, we would've called sooner. And not just because we needed something from you."

Yukiko would've stayed silent.

And Yukiko doesn't assume to know Naoto – maybe no one really does – and she especially hasn't taken much time to get to know Yosuke, but she knows that it would take hitting a nerve to make both of them come to blows like they were now.

And Yosuke was so  _happy_  before.

She thinks something should be said, but she doesn't know the words herself. Distantly, she thinks that Souji would know.

" _Oh,_   _I am well aware, Hanamura. If you're quite done wasting my time…_ "

"Yeah, sure. Bye," he at least says before cutting the line, and resorts then to glaring at his phone.

A silence follows, settles in like an unwanted guest in the room. Yukiko, now feeling a nervousness buzz in her head, looks away from Yosuke, because she's not sure he's ever looked so  _pissed_  before.

Even if, lately, when she sees him in Junes while she's running errands for the inn, he's sighing and frowning the whole time.

She watches Naoto, who's laid out the kumiki in front of him in increasing size, stack the few remaining ones.

He doesn't  _seem_  like a missing child.

He never complained, didn't really say much at all. Emi – the inn worker and mother of two whom Yukiko entrusted babysitting Noato with while she was at school – didn't mention  _anything_ out of the ordinary.

So how were either herself or Yosuke supposed to know what to do if everyone and everything acted so normal about it?

"Y'know," Yosuke says quietly, finally, without looking at her. "I get that Naoto's got a stick cemented up her ass, but she doesn't have to take it out on us."

Yukiko's never been one to cuss, never felt like she needed to. And she's aware that most people avoid doing so around her, maybe out of respect or out of her good influence. So when they do so around her, it's always come with an added emphasis of anger.

Still, some part of her urges her to say, "I'm sure it isn't like that. Maybe – maybe things have been rough for her, too."

"Yeah?" Yosuke rounds on her. "Why's she gotta give us shit for it? We're the ones who're there for her, not some frickin'  _Yosuke-san._ Did you hear how chill she was when she thought it was him? And then she got all cold and formal with me?"

Yukiko did. But she also, at the very least, knew how Naoto could be with people. And she knew Yosuke knew, too. They were both there for her Shadow, after all.

"We haven't really been there for her, though. I don't think anyone's called her since she left."

Yosuke scowls. "Not like we've been throwing parties for each other over here without her."

It's the same problem, then. Yukiko has it too: that distance comes between her and everyone. It sneaks in where there's space to. When Souji left, when Rise left, when Naoto left. Between herself and the rest of the team; even Chie's almost started to slip away, but that girl's fierce stubbornness is greater than any chasm of distance.

Yukiko blames herself, for the most part: it's been in the ways she was raised. The inn always welcomes guests temporarily. Everyone leaves, be it after they've told their story or before they've become anything other than a stranger.

It's conditioned her to watch people go, while only thinking of the next guest. Some part of that will always stay with her.

But she knows she's changing – growing, if all the thinking is any indication – so there's room for new habits.

"Y-"

But when she looks at Yosuke, angry Yosuke, she's not sure how to breach the topic. She doesn't know how to bring it up, how she's meant to speak to him so that he hears her.

Yosuke's never been her favourite. If she's honest, Chie aside, Souji is. Though he's likely everyone's favourite, Yosuke most of all. The two just clicked – boys, she thinks, or maybe things in common, like being the new transfer student.

But even then, Chie's always able to carry the conversation with Yosuke. She's mentioned him, sometimes, too, even when he's not there and nothing brings him up. And Chie, Yukiko noticed, was in a chipper mood during their conversation with Yosuke, in spite of homework. Smiling in that happy way.

Similar to Yosuke's smile when Naoto first answered.

Yukiko wonders if she'll ever make anyone smile like that. Like they  _missed_  her.

She'll even take it from one of the inn guests. Any of them, just to come back and smile at her, remember her.

"I was uncool," Yosuke mumbles after what feels like a long time, pulling Yukiko out of her thoughts before she can sink in them.

"I got pissed, and I'm just – " he breathes through his nose, frustrated, pushes a hand through his hair. It's longer than Yukiko remembers it being, somehow. "I really,  _really_  messed up, huh? More than usual."

"Naoto-kun's not the easiest to deal with," Yukiko offers.

"Yeah," Yosuke says in a knowing way, and for a beat, that smile ghosts his features. He pauses. "I wanna call her again. But I don't think she'll pick up – she'll know it's me this time, right?"

Yukiko doesn't say anything.

Yosuke fills in the gaps. "Some other day. Soon. I'll at least text her, say I'm sorry. Maybe I can piss her off enough to get her down here to shoot me in the mouth."

Yukiko doesn't join him when he laughs, but she catches Naoto's head lift up, look at Yosuke for probably the first time since he came.

Yosuke seems to notice this, too. "Not talking 'bout you, little man. Your dad's probably gonna shoot me anyway."

Naoto keeps a steady stare. Yosuke pockets his phone, and begins pushing Naoto lightly with his foot.

"I wanna say this is your fault, but at least you got us all talkin' again, technically."

This, Yukiko can agree with. She never would have had Yosuke come to the inn, to her room, with someone's child…

It dawns on Yukiko that this is the second time in one week that Yosuke's been in her room, which would mark the second time in her life that another boy her age has been in her room.

For a moment, Yukiko blanks.

Then, "What are we even  _doing_?"

Yosuke takes a break from teasing Naoto with no reaction to give Yukiko a wry smile. "Dude, I'm thinking the same thing. Should we just call the cops?"

The suggestion brings Yukiko back to the situation of a maybe-two-year-old stranger solving kumiki in her bedroom. "You said he didn't like them."

Yosuke pulls himself upright, and tosses his abandoned kumiki to Naoto. "Yeah, we can't drag him there, but we can report it to them."

Naoto looks at the kumiki that's landed in his lap, then hurriedly throws it back to Yosuke.

"I think that's something we should have done at the beginning."

Yosuke shrugs, smiling as he chucks the kumiki back. "Yeah, probably. We were younger."

Yukiko has half a mind to scold Yosuke for being careless with the vintage wood puzzles, but every time it lands back on Naoto, his tiny mouth draws tight, and he throws it back with excited energy even if he looks confused.

It's one of the cutest things Yukiko's ever witness, and, despite the gravity of all that's happened, she feels light inside. She lets it out as a giggle, and ruffles Naoto's hair.

"Oh,  _Naoto-bō_!"

"I said not to call him that!" Yosuke yelps, reaching out to a stray kumiki leftwards. He tosses both at Naoto, who looks more confused than ever.

After what seems to be heavy internal deliberation, he throws both back. It's especially cute considering how  _tiny_  Naoto's hands are when they're trying to get a grip on the kumiki.

Yosuke lets out a laugh, and smiles at Yukiko. "Man, he's so…anyway. I'll head on over to the station after this, let them know. And hope they're cooler about it than Naoto-kun."

Yukiko's not sure they will be, and she's not sure what 'this' is, or what will come after it.

She doesn't know much, not about that Naoto, or this Naoto, or Yosuke in her room or people who smile. She knows she  _likes_ it when they smile, at her or not.

She'll try, she thinks. Maybe she'll call Naoto later, explain things better. Even put in a good word for Yosuke. Maybe.

But right now, Yukiko picks up a kumiki, and tosses it into Naoto's lap just as Yosuke throws three. Naoto stares at the pile, yelps, and throws them all at Yukiko in a panic.

And so they go on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ah, the miscommunication. Also, too many Naotos.


End file.
